


change my world

by quietgal



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Dystopia, M/M, Mystery, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-12-22 04:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11960097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietgal/pseuds/quietgal
Summary: “... How long has he been doing that?”Francis turned his head to look. He couldn’t help but smile a little.“Ah. Poor Alfred. It must be months, now.”





	1. Chapter 1

Arthur watched Francis tap the edge of his spoon against his teacup. It was sort of a comforting sound, adding to the other noise of the cafe. The cafe was the only place in town that ever got crowded; the dinner and evening-snack rush supplied a pianoforte collage of noise that Arthur normally loved. 

Today, though, it only seemed to irritate him further.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the spoon. A rusty silvery sort of color, particularly worn near the tip of it. Tinny, high pitched noise when it softly hit the edge of the porcelain cup.

“Do not make faces at me, you swine.”

Arthur scoffed. “I’m not making faces at  _ you _ . And you’re the swine out of the two of us.”

“Do not lie to yourself,” Francis sneered. He held up his spoon near to his face, the leftovers of espresso dripping off as he turned it upside down. “What were you looking at, then? My drink? Have you finally lost a taste for your fancy leaf water that you demand Feli buys just for you?”

“Shut up,” Arthur growled. “I was looking because you were doing that annoying tapping thing.”

“Oh, please, spare me. You would love to pretend that every move I make is a sin against God.”

“I  _ told _ you it was annoying--”

“Forgive me if I do not remember every word out of your mouth!”

“I don’t forgive you,” Arthur said simply.

Francis rolled his eyes and placed the spoon back in his teacup. “As long as we have been friends, you have never made it easy.”

Arthur looked out the window, feigning disinterest. “We’re barely friends.”

“Oh, is that so?” Francis straightened up in his chair. “Well,  _ James-- _ ”

“Don’t call me that,” Arthur ground out through his teeth.

“-- I suppose I’ve interrupted my day for nothing, then.” Francis stood up.

“Sit down!” Arthur groaned, reaching for his wrist. 

Francis swiftly pulled his wrist away from Arthur. “I do not take requests from strangers.”

“Oh, come on! We’re not strangers!”

“Well, if we are not friends either, then what?” Francis asked, picking up his scarf from where it had been draped across his chair. He began to wrap it around his neck.

“Idiot,” Arthur scowled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “Fine, we’re… we’re friends. Sit down.”

Francis looked at him for a moment. He then slowly took off his scarf, draped it once more across the back of his chair, and sat down. 

Neither of them spoke for a good moment.

“Are you going to say--”

“I’m sorry,” Arthur said quickly.

“With feeling, please.”

“I’m sorry!” Arthur groaned. “Now would you please stop? I don’t know what you expected, honestly.”

“I don’t, either,” Francis sighed, leaning his chin on his palm. “Now, what did you call me for?”

Arthur fidgeted in his chair. “... Nothing. I just… wanted to see if you were still here, or something.”

“You wanted to see if I was still here.”

“Yes.”

Francis stared at Arthur. Arthur stared out the window.

Francis leaned back in his chair. “I heard you had another fight with your brother.”

Arthur frowned. “It wasn’t…”

“It was, and now you are hoping I will take your side.” 

Arthur clamped his mouth shut. 

Francis reached up to scratch at his chin. “Of course, I will not. As our families have been friends since the beginning, I will not be picking sides in whatever silly argument you Kirklands have gotten into now. And whatever everyone will gossip about, of course.”

Arthur’s jaw set.

“But...” Francis continued with a sigh, “I would not be unwilling to host you for a few more nights, if you are in need of a place to stay.”

Arthur turned to look at him, his eyes wide.

“... Really?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, Arthur.”

Arthur stared at him for another moment, his cheeks tinted red.

He looked back down at the table. 

“... Thank you, Francis.”

Francis hummed. He averted his eyes, scanning the cafe for anything of interest.

Nothing was of interest.

Arthur looked back out the window, biting his lip.

Something caught his eye.

He watched.

In the silence, Francis nearly began to tap his spoon again before remembering Arthur’s earlier annoyance. He was too tired for another spat. Arthur was always starting arguments about nothing so he didn’t have to talk about anything. Everyone knew. Bitter Arthur, some called him, chastising him for never thinking about anyone’s feelings but his own until it was too late.

“... How long has he been doing that?”

Francis blinked out of his thoughts, interrupted by his old friend’s voice. He looked up to see Arthur’s green eyes fixated on something outside.

Francis turned his head to look. 

He couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Ah. Poor Alfred. It must be months, now.”

Alfred’s newest hobby was the most exciting thing to happen to the town in a long time. 

Every evening, once it started getting dark, Alfred stepped outside of his house.

The man who everyone once knew to be outgoing, charming, garrulous, and charismatic stepped out of his house, completely silent.

He walked to the center of town, saying nothing to anyone he passed, his head tilted back.

His feet knew the way. He didn’t watch where he was going. Instead, he looked up at the sky.

He found his way to the old station, where the rusty tracks came through and blew past their little town. He placed one foot on the dusty bench, then the other, then pushed himself up to stand on top of it.

And he stared as the evening sky turned to night, as the stars came out. 

He just stood there and stared.

Francis chuckled quietly. “A bit of a tragedy, no? He was such a charming boy, and handsome, too. He is so quiet now.” He turned his head back to look at Arthur. “I have heard that he is better during the day, but… he ignores everyone once it begins to get dark. Even his brother has given up on him.”

Arthur continued to watch Alfred, captivated. “What do you think he’s doing?”

Francis shrugged. “I suppose he’s taken up an interest in astronomy. I heard he loved Karpusi’s physics class.”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. “Astronomy…? I don’t think there’s much to learn by just  _ looking _ . He should… I don’t know, read a book.”

“Perhaps he has read all of the books in the library.”

Arthur grimaced. “I doubt it. I’ve never seen him there.”

“Ah, yes, you would know.” Francis pursed his lips.

Arthur kept staring.

“... If you are so interested, why don’t you go ask him?”

Arthur blinked.

He turned back to Francis.

“... Alright.”

Francis blinked, too. 

He slowly smiled.

“Really, you are going to ask him?”

“... Yes,” Arthur answered with baseless confidence. He stood up swiftly.

Francis gave a short laugh. “A-Arthur, he is not going to respond. Don’t embarrass yourself more than you surely already have today.”

Arthur took a step, then another, and then another.

“Everyone will see, Arthur!” Francis called after him.

Arthur walked out of the cafe. He walked until he was just paces away from the bench Alfred was standing on.

Alfred didn’t move. His gaze was trained on the sky. 

“Doesn’t your neck hurt?” Arthur asked.

Silence.

“Are you looking at the stars?”

The wind in the trees.

“I could recommend you a book, you know. On… stars, and other things. Astronomy. I work at the library.”

Arthur waited for an answer.

“It’d be no trouble. A-and you wouldn’t have to pay, of course. If you’re interested in astronomy, reading would do you more good than--”

“M’not.”

Arthur paused.

Alfred had spoken to him.

“... You’re not… interested?” Arthur managed.

Alfred tilted his head a bit, perhaps changing the angle at which he looked at the sky, but he didn’t look at Arthur.

“... If you’re not interested in astronomy, what are you looking at the stars for?”

Silence.

“Are you interested in astrology?”

Silence.

“Or… other planets in general? Stars, specifically? Or maybe just the Sun?”

“Satellites.”

Arthur frowned.

“What?”

“I’m interested in satellites.”

Arthur’s gaze fell to the ground, then back up.

“... Sorry, Alfred, I’m not sure what you mean.”

Alfred tapped his fingers against the side of his leg. “Space ships. Rovers. Airplanes. Gotta be something. Gotta be some trace of  _ someone _ .”

“I--”

“They don’t run the pods anymore. No trains, no buses, no cars. Nothing out here. But there’s gotta be someone up there.”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. He looked up at the stars.

“I’m gonna see it for my own eyes,” Alfred went on, his voice just a murmur. “And when I do, I’ll have proof that there’s someone. Someone other than us. And then I’m gonna get out of here.”

Arthur looked back at Alfred. 

Alfred had been the golden boy at their high school. He was great at sports. He excelled in all of his classes. The few girls in attendance loved him. He graduated with high marks and was working as apprentice to his quiet brother, the town lawyer.

Alfred would settle down with a family soon, create his own practice, and he would likely become one of the highest paid people in town.

But Alfred wanted to go somewhere else.

“You’re going to leave?” Arthur managed. “But… where will you go?”

Alfred shook his head slightly. “A town, a city. Another country, maybe. I’ll go wherever I can.”

“Why?”

“It’s gotta be better than here.”

Arthur considered.

“... Probably.”

Alfred seemed to flinch. He hesitated for a moment, and then turned his head. 

He fixed his blue eyes right into Arthur’s green ones, and stared into his soul.

“You can come with me, if you want.”

Arthur widened his eyes. 

“... Really?”

“Yeah. I-I mean, if I ever get proof that there’s someone...”

“Right...”

Alfred gave him a little smile.

It wasn’t like what he used to see from Alfred. Alfred used to have that huge megawatt grin that shined even in the black-and-white photos that were featured in the newspaper. 

But this small smile warmed his heart all the same.

Arthur smiled back.

Alfred turned his head back to the sky.

Arthur looked up, too.

And, right in the center of all the constellations in sight, they saw a light begin to blink. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred quickly began to move. He was digging in his pocket.

Arthur glanced between Alfred and the light, his heart pounding. What was that? He’d never noticed anything like that before. Was a star exploding? He was fairly sure they did that sometimes. “... Do you see that?”

“Yeah,” Alfred breathed. He pulled out a pair of binoculars from his pocket. They were small, definitely not meant for great distances, but Alfred jammed his eyes into them anyway. He strained as he looked for the light.

Arthur bit his lip in anticipation. “Anything?”

Alfred was quiet again.

Arthur watched as Alfred’s jaw, slowly but surely, opened. A breathy laugh escaped through it, then another. “I-It’s moving.” Alfred managed. “It’s moving!”

“What is it?” Arthur asked, taking a tentative step forward. “Is it a comet?”

“No, no,” Alfred laughed. “It’s what I was talking about before. It’s a satellite.” His grin grew wider. “It’s a satellite!”

Arthur couldn’t help but smile with him. “R-Right, and that means…”

“That it’s giving signals. And someone’s using them.” Alfred began to pocket his binoculars.

Arthur fidgeted. “Signals… for…”

“Um. Lots of things.” Alfred jumped off the bench.

Suddenly, they were standing next to each other.

Arthur looked into Alfred’s blue eyes. Blue eyes behind clean glasses. And blonde hair that looked soft. Really soft. He had to look up a bit to appreciate it fully. Alfred was a little taller than him, it seemed. But only a little. He didn’t have to tilt his head up very far to see all of his face. Straight nose, tanned cheeks, slightly chapped lips… which were moving, he realized.

“... and, like, televisions. Have you heard of those?”

“... Televisions,” Arthur repeated.

“Yeah. They’re, like, boxes that show a lot of pictures really fast, so it’s like something’s moving.”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows.

“... Inside of the box?”

“Well, it looks that way, yeah, but they’re just pictures on a screen.”

“A screen…”

Arthur looked down.

Arthur wondered if Alfred happened to know a lot about these subjects he’d never heard of, or…

Or if he was lying.

He looked back up, only to find Alfred still looking at him.

“Well,” he said, “that’s all very interesting, Alfred.”

“Isn’t it?” Alfred grinned.

“Yes.” Arthur nodded. “Are you going to be on your way home now?”

Alfred’s smile fell. “Oh. Uh, well, not really.”

Arthur quirked an eyebrow. “Where are you going?”

“Well, I guess I _am_ going home,” Alfred laughed a bit, scratching the back of his neck. “But just to grab my pack. Then I’m gonna get going.”

Arthur stared.

“... Already?” He asked, his voice feeling suddenly weak.

Alfred nodded. “Yeah. Time is money!” He joked, smiling.

Arthur didn’t smile back.

This was going too fast. It seemed insane. What were the chances that the one time he involved himself in this strange ritual, it would work out? Was any of this true? Alfred had offered to take him along; God, he’d almost considered it! But tonight… that was too soon. Too soon for him -- Hell, too soon for Alfred.

Alfred was fidgeting, awkward.

“Don’t you think you should wait?” Arthur tried. “Where will you go?”

Alfred shrugged. “I mean…”

“I think you should wait.”

Arthur locked eyes with Alfred. Alfred was just staring at him.

He bit his lip.

Alfred was obviously waiting for an explanation, but…

“I… may want to go with you,” he spoke slowly, saying the first somewhat convincing thing he could think of. “But I can’t if you’re going right now.”

Those blue eyes kept looking at him, like they were staring into his soul. Pearly white teeth softly gnawed at those pink lips. Was he considering? Or perhaps thinking of a way to turn Arthur down? This was pretty important to him, after all, and Arthur couldn’t imagine him changing his plans for someone he just put into the equation a few minutes ago. As he thought, that argument wasn’t going to be strong enough.

Arthur moved to speak, to say something, anything that would change his mind, but Alfred interrupted him.

“Okay.”

Arthur froze with his lips parted, shocked.

“... Really?” He managed.

“Sure!” Alfred smiled again. “I like you, and I think you’d be a good companion. So… if you’ll only come with me if it’s tomorrow morning, I’ll wait ‘till then.”

Tomorrow morning? God, that was soon, too.

Arthur found himself nodding anyway.

“O-Okay,” he murmured. He cleared his throat. “Yes. Sure. Tomorrow.”

“Great!” Alfred chirped. “I’ll meet you here. Bring your stuff, and lots of snacks! ‘Kay?” Alfred placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and Arthur could do nothing but watch. That smile was really too bright for this world.

This dull, monotonous world that Alfred was giving him a chance to escape.

“See you then, Arthur!”

And then Alfred was gone, and Arthur was left standing at the old abandoned station.

He made his way back to Francis’s apartment in a daze. It seemed impossible to leave town; it was the only thing he knew. His family was here, his friends were here, and any chance at a normal and semi-successful life was here. Was he really about to abandon that for Alfred Jones? The man who was once revered as a god, but now considered an outsider?

How was he even considering this?

He let himself into Francis’s home with the keys he’d been given last time. Francis was seated on the couch with a book.

“Good evening,” Francis purred, only sparing him a short glance.

“Hi.” Arthur said simply. He closed the door behind him.

He didn’t move. Couldn’t move.

Francis eventually looked back at him.

“Are you alright?” He asked, quirking a neatly plucked brow.

Arthur remained still.

He could lie and say he was fine. It’d be easy, too easy, but…

“Alfred is going to leave town tomorrow and he invited me to go with him,” he blurted out.

There was no use in lying to Francis.

“What?” Francis laughed, putting his book aside. “Where is he going?”

Arthur shook his head. “He doesn’t know, really. He’s just… leaving.”

Francis watched him. Arthur could see mirth in his expression; that arsehole of a frog. The slight smirk in his lips, the twinkle in his blue eyes. (Not as blue as Alfred’s, Arthur made a point to note, but blue.) Damn him.

“Are you going to go with him?”

He always cut to the chase.

Arthur sighed, walking further into the apartment. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the side of the couch, ignoring the quiet tsk of disapproval from Francis.

“I don’t know.” He sat down on the couch. “Maybe.”

Francis smirked, misplaced jacket forgotten. “... Wow.”

Arthur scowled, looking at him. “What?”

“He has really had an effect on you.”

“Oh, shut up,” Arthur groaned. “He has not.”

Francis shrugged, chuckling as he looked back to his book. “One conversation and he’ll have you leaving everything you ever had behind.”

“Well, what _do_ I have?” Arthur snapped.

Francis turned back to him. Their eyes met.

Silence.

“Do you know?”  Francis murmured, as if too loud a voice would shatter their surroundings. “What do you have here?”

Arthur stared back at Francis. He wanted so badly to fight back, to say something amazing and shut Francis up forever.

But what did he have?

Brothers who hated him. Plenty of embarrassing memories. An English teacher who liked him.

“... Not much.” He frowned.

Francis hummed. He turned to his nails, inspecting them nonchalantly.

“Alfred has family who loves him,” Francis said.

Arthur scoffed.

“He has a great reputation, apart from this… space thing. A job lined up…”

“I get it, I don’t have any of that!” Arthur scowled.

Francis pouted at him. “I wasn’t saying that…”

“You didn’t have to.” Arthur huffed. He sat back against the couch and crossed his arms.

Francis sighed. He stood up, neatly placed his hands in his pockets, and looked down at Arthur. “Well, if you believe that, and Alfred is going, why shouldn’t you?”

Arthur scowled up at him.

“Someone’s going to have to tell me what it’s like out there, after all. I’d hate to miss out on any interesting gossip,” Francis smiled.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Shut up, idiot.”

Francis chuckled. “I suppose I cannot influence your decision.”

“Not a chance in Hell.”

“Then I will leave it up to you.” With a flip of his hair, Francis walked towards his bedroom. “But, if you decide to go, I will tell your brothers for you.”

Francis shut the door softly.

Arthur was alone with his thoughts.

How had it come to this?

Maybe Francis was right. Maybe Arthur was just easily swayed by handsome men. He wouldn’t put it past himself. Years of yearning for a romance like the ones in fairy tales could do that to a person.

Maybe some of that stereotyping from high school was still ingrained inside of him. Alfred was the King Jock and Arthur was just some lowly nerd. Class president, to be fair, but still.  It only made sense to want to follow Alfred around. Right? No. That was bad logic, probably. Damn.

He got himself up off the couch and into bed. Thoughts swirled in his head. Was he crazy? Probably. Was Alfred crazy? Definitely. Why was he even considering going? His first impulse had been to stop Alfred from going altogether -- why did it so quickly turn into pushing it off so that he could tag along?

Everything was awful.

And then it was morning.

And then Francis had already prepared food for him that he could take on the go, and even packed a backpack for him, too. That frog didn’t even care where he should be going, or why, or how long he’d be gone, it seemed. Just that he should be going, because good riddance, Arthur supposed, and he knew Francis simply adored a good love story. Not that it would ever happen.

And then Arthur was going to his house to pick up the few items he wanted to take with him. All while avoiding his brothers, obviously. He didn’t need any further drama today. He was just taking a few belongings from his room. Just in case. Just in case when he went to meet Alfred, he agreed to go.

He wasn’t going to go, of course. He’d thought it out. His plan would be to confront Alfred, let him know that leaving town so haphazardly was a bad idea, plant some logic into that wild imagination of his. Arthur could handle that much, no matter how handsome Alfred was.

And then he was standing in front of Alfred at the train station and completely forgetting his plan.

“You’re sure about this, right?” Alfred was asking, balancing on the train tracks as if this was all just a game to him. “It might be a long time before we find anything. I’ve got no idea where these tracks go. Hell, they might not go anywhere, but… it’s the best lead we’ve got.”

Arthur watched Alfred stumble off the top of the track, then bound easily forwards. He turned back to face Arthur, a large grin on his face.

“You comin’?”

Arthur gripped the straps of his bag.

He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell Alfred this was a bad idea, that they should plan this better, take further precaution, brainstorm how to do this safely...

But, God, it felt like there was some magnetic force pulling him towards Alfred, his warm chest, his blue eyes…

Towards the outside world.

“... Yeah.”

Arthur took a step.

Then another, then another.

Alfred’s grin widened. He faced forward. He led the way.

Helpless, Arthur followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i m a busy gal but im out here tryin  
> CREIDT 2 ROSEB4LM FOR EDIting the fic and helping me not be as gay (i am gay)  
> <3 cant update if i think no ones reading <3 leave a comment <3 luv u <3

**Author's Note:**

> im finally gonna try 2 write a multichapterd so pls leav comments and tell me nice things 
> 
> sorry for not many tags i dont wanna ~~~~spoil stuff~~~~ i will add more in later probalb


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